(Above: Thistledowndilly ? a rainbow pygmy hedgehog and mascot!)

Web Site: http://www3.sympatico.ca/dragon.wings/

I have always had a fascination with tiny things. As a child, I made desks and beds from match boxes and various scrounged bits and pieces, and I taught myself to crochet using a tiny hook and sewing thread, just so that my tinys would have lovely blankets and sweaters to keep them warm. I searched for tiny doors and left things near the baseboards that I thought the Borrowers in my house might be able to use.

Then came a few years when other aspects of life intervened. Although I did continue to dabble in fine art and various crafty endeavours, miniatures as such were put on the "back-burner".

My re-introduction to the world of miniatures came in the mid-1990's after the birth of my daughter. My decision to become a stay-at-home mom coincided with my meeting and falling in love with the Fairfield - my first exposure to 1/24th scale, and I was hooked!

Over the ensuing years I have created miniatures in many media, as well as introducing both of my children to the hobby. I feel that the biggest plus about miniatures is that there are no limits. There is always something to strive towards - to learn a new skill, improve on an old skill, or push the boundaries of the medium. (And there is always a new tool, a new thread, a new book, or a new batch of supplies that needs to come home with me!)

The internet has opened a whole new world as well - miniaturists around the world are able to connect and share ideas with just a click of the mouse. Some of the dearest friends that I have in the mini world I met online. If you haven't done so, I highly recommend checking out some of the on-line miniaturist groups.

My personal favorites include the Ancient and Honourable Green Sock On Left Foot On Tuesday club (www.gsolfot.com) which is full of amazingly talented miniature artists from around the world, and the Petitpointers group on Yahoo (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Petitpointers/), another international group with many members that are very well recognized "names" in the mini world.

My own website is http://www3.sympatico.ca/dragon.wings/ and it features some of my full sized artwork as well as my miniature work.

These days, although I create in many media, my biggest mini obsession is with petitpoint and especially with designing items that can work for 1/24th scale as well as 1/12th. I hope that you will have fun stitching these pieces too!

If you have any questions or comments on the projects, I would love to hear from you! My email address is dragon.wings@sympatico.ca

See you! Shelly